FORSYTH, Ga.– Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) Commissioner Homer Bryson announced the grand opening of the new 100 Shares Children’s Visitation Center at Metro Transitional Center in Atlanta, Ga. Heartbound Ministries and GDC held a ribbon cutting ceremony on February 13, 2016 to honor this important occasion.

“When one thinks of crime victims, children of prisoners do not typically come to mind, but the effects on their young lives are profound,” said Board member Andrea Shelton. “There is an urgent need to find more ways to prevent outcomes of these vulnerable children. One such way is by establishing the 100 Shares Children’s Visitation Center at Metro Women’s Transitional Center.”

The children’s center was made possible through a grant funded by the 100 Shares organization (http://onehundredshares.org). Board of Corrections member Andrea Shelton drove this grant with the cooperation and collaboration of the staff of Metro Transitional Center. The purpose of this center is to provide children and their mothers a sense of normalcy. It provides them an opportunity to have fun in a family-friendly environment as well as offer a chance to facilitate reconciliation. HeartBound Ministries (http://www.heartboundministries.com) will offer workshops for mothers to aid in forgiveness and reconciliation. In addition, the center will host the Little Readers program, provided by HeartBound, which allows for bonding and reading opportunities between the child and parent. The goal of this program is to ease a child’s anxiety about their parent’s absence, empower incarcerated parents to continue their parental involvement, and to promote literacy.

“Helping offenders continue to build strong family relationships is key to an their reentry,” said Commissioner Bryson. “This center is another step in the right direction in our efforts to afford all returning citizens the tools to be successful once they are released.”

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5247 or visit gdc.ga.gov.